Return from Darkness
by MandoGirl22
Summary: A woman that is thought dead resurfaces, hunting for a splinter group of the Death Stalkers that leads her back to her adopted cultural.
1. Chapter 1

_Nar Shaddaa, a few months after leaving Mandalore…._

Nar Shaddaa was a planet covered in a perpetual blanket of darkness. Over the centuries, pollution had formed a globe-spanning soup that blocked out any sunlight and made an endless twilight, reflecting the gaudy lights of the endless cities. Dozens of smells, from sex to refuse to sickness to spice, filled the air, promising of the very best and worst the planet had to offer. Despite the rancid aftertaste left in the woman's mouth from simply breathing, it was still far better than being surrounded by hidden enemies like she had been on Mandalore but like her loved ones, they thought she was dead and she was now in hiding. No longer in her _beskar'gam_ , she wore a black cropped tank top, that revealed her muscular, toned stomach, under a black bantha hide jacket that were tucked under armored gauntlets of a metallic gray color on both forearms over fingerless gloves and black form-fitting pants that were tucked into armored boots. Her utility belt was adorned with several pouches and the holsters for her hand blasters were attached to her belt. That wasn't the only change she did to her appearance, her once braided long hair was now worn freely down her back but there has three small braids on the side of her head with red and black beads eat the end of the braids.

She turned her body so that she wouldn't hit anyone as she walked down the crowded walkway, heading to the hotel that she was staying at. The woman pauses when she faintly senses six people following her but then she started walking again, pretending that she hadn't noticed them. She turned down an alley and hide just a little away from the entrance she was planning to lure them in so that she could attack them. Or that was her plan until she pinned to the wall behind by an unseen force, where they too Force users? Did the Death Stalkers find her? She got ready to fight until a woman's voice said, calm and cool, "We mean you no harm, Kestra Verd…"

"Oh really? Then why are you pinning me and how do you know my name?" Kestra snapped struggling a bit.

Another woman tsked at her and said, "So suspicious, Shae Verd told us about you when we came looking for you…of course, we could have gone to that Vhetin guy but he would have been a bit suspicious of us and why we were looking for you, little one."

The pressure eased off her and she turned her head to get her first look of her…not attackers but she wasn't going to trust them right off the bat. Their clothing consisted of a carapace-like armor that hugged their skin and covered every bit of it, including their hands, painted in dark ebony, with white stripes down the front side, a zipper running all the way up to secure themselves, their thick hardened boots making sounds of footsteps on the floor. There was six women standing in front of her, ranging in height but they all had similar features that looked similar to her own to make her wonder just what she was. One of the women reached up and pulled her hood up to cover her face, she then tucked her dark brown hair that was pulled back in a braid into the hood before slipping her sunglasses on and taping the side which triggered the tinting of her sunglasses to cover the lens, covering her almond shaped brown eyes.

The woman who spoke first stepped forward and said, "I am Ranek…this is Ori, Saricia, Parell, Talura and Reese." She motioned to herself than to the other five, who waved and smiled at her though Ranek was a cold mask of indifference towards Kestra. Kestra inclines her head towards them in hesitant, confused greeting and said, "Hello…umm…if you don't mind me asking but why were you looking for me?"

Ori, the second woman who had spoken, grinned and said, "We are hunting some Death Stalkers, Kestra…and we had heard that you had dealt with them before." Talura nods her head and adds, "Though you weren't very good at fighting them but that's because you didn't have any training to fight against others who are like us." Reese places her hand on Kestra's shoulder and said, "We are here to train you." Saricia places her hand on her other shoulder and smiles, "And what better way for us to train you then while on the hunt for these Death Stalkers." Kestra looks at the women, even more confused and said, "Why do you want to hunt them?" It was Parell who answered her, "Because they were stationed in the Unknown Regions which is our home and we want them out…yes, the Empire and your friends think they are dead but we know that they are not and we want to finish the job."

Ranek nods her head slightly and said, "You need to learn these skills in order to hide from those who would try to use you like they did." Kestra was silent for a few minutes before nodding her head and said, "Alright, I will go with you."

Ranek smiles then but it too was cold yet it had a predatory hint to it and said, "Good, your training starts now."


	2. Chapter 2

p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"emForest Moon of Endor, a year later./em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"em /em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra Shar stood on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the scenery below her. She was on the forest moon of Endor, having come here with the women to be trained in private without any fear of people seeing them though she had completed her training over a week ago and they had returned to their home planet but they had sent someone to help her go after the Death Stalkers. The light from the sun duly shinning off her armor, her clothing consisted of a carapace-like armor that hugged her skin and covered every bit of it, including her hands, painted in dark ebony, with white stripes down the front side, a zipper running all the way up to secure herself, her thick hardened boots making sounds of footsteps on the floor. She reached up and pulled her hood up to cover her face, she then tucked her dark brown hair that was pulled back in a braid into the hood before slipping her sunglasses on and taping the side which triggered the tinting of her sunglasses to cover the lens, covering her almond shaped brown eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She shifted her case so that it was in a better position on her shoulder; the case had her sniper rifle in it. Her tanned fingers drummed on the handle of her case as she waited for her scout to return./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra looks up when she hears the leaves above her rustling and a white and black figure landed next to her. The newcomer was obviously a woman, she wore a black metal breastplate which does not cover her midsection, and a black leather strap went cross her collar to attach to her right pauldron. She also wore black gauntlets, thin and beautifully designed tassets were over a black loincloth and greaves as well as foot armor. Under the armor that goes just below her bust was a black mesh bodysuit. On her right wrist was a gauntlet knives, they are retractable, serrated blades between six and eighteen inches in length and two to eight inches wide that extend over the back of the hand from the gauntlet worn on the woman's wrist. Generally, the blades come in pairs, mounted in parallel, but there are exceptions to this. These deadly weapons are sharp enough to cut through bone and are intended for use against unarmored combatants or those who have been disarmed. As a last resort, they can sometimes be fired as a projectile from their gauntlet. The woman lifted her arm that had the gauntlet knives and pulled up her mask, revealing the face of an attractive woman. She has pure-white skin, due to the lack of sunlight on her home planet, and gold eyes, which is sensitive to light and purple lips. Her face are marked with the sign of womanhood, which is small four black dots that starts from her forehead and goes down the bridge of her nose, and two black stripes going diagonally down her cheeks, on both sides and a faded purple stripe that covers her eyes and brows. She has canines like a cat's, elongated and curving, ending in delicate, piercing points but they are stronger than they look and she has long nails that ended in points./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She has long, thick white hair, her hair is styled in a half-bun with four thick braids, hanging to her hip; the braid over her shoulder is held together by a black leather band with gold clasps on the both ends of the band and the three braids that hangs behind her back is held together by a gold, thin, long clasp. She has thin braids on either side of their heads that does into the bun and her bangs fall to her breasts./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Zarina, did you find anything?" Kestra asked her tall companion./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Yes, apparently there's a small group of Death Stalkers are stationed here…no sign of their leader though," Zarina said fiddling with the hilt of the dagger that she had strapped to her thigh; she had a collapsible spear strapped to her back./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra sighs and said, "Of course not…he wouldn't make it that easy for us. Oh well, we'll make do with this…maybe they'll know where that scumbag is."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Zarina nods her head before she lowers her mask and said, her voice cracking with the static, "Alright, sounds like a plan to me…am I free to do whatever I want?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Yes." Was the only and simple response from Kestra, Zarina bows slightly before she jumps off the cliff and Kestra was right behind her. Both women used the Force to slow their descendent to the ground safely./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"As soon as they reached the ground both women went their separate ways, they will hit the base on different sides in order to confuse their target. Kestra would be hitting the front while Zarina would be hitting the back. She noticed movement from the corner of her eye but she didn't draw any of her blasters, she knew who it was. /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra walked near the edge of the tree line, staying in the shadows with Jax a few feet ahead of her with his nose to the ground and ears rotating as he smells and listened for his enemies. Jax's tail would twitch every once and in a while and despite his large size, he didn't make a sound as he walked. Kestra can see him gently step onto some twigs before gently stepping off them, never once breaking them./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"As Kestra watched him, she took in his appearance. He had a long narrow muzzle and large erected ears; he had orange eyes with vertical pupils that were quite disconcerting to other races. He had extremely sharp teeth that ran along the length of his snout, with four fangs protruding over his lower lip, each ending in a double point. Slightly elastic jaw muscle and cheek increase bite force like a rubber-band snapping back and also allows for a large bite range-like a snake, she had seen Jax bite someone before. He had an extremely long green tongue, which he used to smell his prey when his nose was too busy smelling something else. He had strong neck and jaws for carrying heavy objects. His chest was deep and his waist was narrow. He had hand-like paws for climbing and his paws had semi-retractable claws for extra grip in high-speed pursuits, and he has strong, slender front legs for climbing. And he has a long whiplike tails for balance and maneuvering, his tail can also be used as a weapon and she had seen Jax use it before to break bones and cause internal bleeding for prey and enemies./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She sends him a command to stop through their bond when she sees the faint outline of the base, Jax freezes in mid-step. Kestra can sense Zarina nearby but didn't send a command to her since their targets were also Force users so she placed the case down and pushed down the hidden latch with the Force. Kestra starts putting the rifle together; she attached a grenade launcher part to the barrel before lifting the rifle and looking down the scope. She carefully aims at the front wall and pulls the trigger, the grenade goes zooming towards the wall and it explodes in a cloud of fire and debris. Kestra then sends Jax the attack command and Jax lets out a loud yip before charging towards the base at a fast pace. She was right behind him, firing her rifle at their enemy./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra ducked a slash of her opponent's lightsaber that would have decapitated her if she was a second slower, Kestra pops back up and fires a slug into the Death Stalker's head before moving along. She didn't even look to see if they were really dead, she could sense their life force disappear in the Force. She enters the base alone, Jax and Zarina will both stay outside and deal with any Death Stalker that try to leave./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"A Death Stalker lunged at her and as he swung his light pike at the woman…who simply wasn't there when the pike reached the target, Kestra moved her rifle so that it was on her back and out of her way. Kestra had leapt to a fallen tree trunk and into a one handed position that she performs in meditation. But there was nothing sleepy or meditative about this. With her forearm serving as a pivot, the adept swept torso and legs about, catching her opponent beneath the jaw and flinging him against the tree behind him. She flipped back onto the ground and got into the stance again just as the Death Stalker was standing up; he seemed surprised that Kestra can do that in full battle armor./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"He picked up his fallen force pike; he twirled it around him before lunging at Kestra again. Kestra leapt straight up, grasping the limb of a tree that was above her head, and punched both feet into the male's masked face. The male fell back and onto his back as she dropped back onto the ground, placing her hands on her hips. Kestra then fixed her rifle since she noticed that it was sliding down while her opponent was getting to his feet; he wobbled slightly but didn't fall./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes then opening them. Kestra charged at the man, she hit him in the jaw, and then followed it by simultaneous hit of both her arms on his neck. Then she did a sideways flip, bring feet down on him three times before bashing him with both of her fists at the same time in a vertical fashion. She did a couple of back flips as he staggered backwards and landed a few feet from her. The other male straightened and glared at her, hissing, "You damn bitch…"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"The male lunged at her, Kestra patiently waited until he was close then she jumped up into the air and launched a kick that was aimed at his head. He ducked her kick; Kestra changed her pivot in midair and swung her heel down on his head. The kick dazed him and Kestra then spun and kicked his knee, breaking it and making him collapse then she spun and lashed out a roundhouse kick, hitting him in the side of the head with her boot. He went crashing to the ground, and he stayed down./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra moved deeper into the base, she kept her rifle on her back she would use her hand to hand combat experience to deal with the rest./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"And then another Death Stalker appeared behind her, looping her arms over Kestra's and bearing her backwards. She wrestles Kestra to the ground but her feet were too quick for that, setting her in perfect balance almost immediately. She slid one leg between her feet and started to twist to the side, weakening her hold on her arm and then Kestra flipped the other woman over her back, slamming her into the ground. She stood up again and charged at Kestra who quickly responded with a roundhouse kick, hitting her in the side of the head with her foot. She went crashing to the ground, but she didn't stay down. Kestra just whirled and slammed her open palm across her face. The stinging blow disoriented her, throwing her off balance. She moved fast; almost too fast to see./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"In a single fluid motion, Kestra grabbed her by the throat and drove her fist into her solar plexus, knocking the breath out of her, then hooked Kestra foot around her ankles and tripped her. Then Kestra raised her leg and slammed her heel down on her head, snapped her neck instantly killing him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Another Death Stalker rushed her from behind and Kestra spun and lashed out a roundhouse kick, hitting her in the side of the head with her boot. She went crashing to the ground, but she didn't stay down. Kestra just whirled and slammed her open palm across her face. The stinging blow disoriented her, throwing her off balance. In a single fluid motion, Kestra grabbed her by the throat and drove her fist into her solar plexus, knocking the breath out of her, then hooked her foot around her ankles and tripped him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Looping her arms over her and bearing her backwards. Kestra wrestled to her the ground but her feet too quick for that, setting her in perfect balance almost immediately. She slid one leg between her feet and started to twist to the side, weakening her hold on her arm. Kestra pulled a hand free and launched a heavy punch, but realized mistake immediately as the other female ducked the blow and a tight, stationary somersault right under the swinging arm, double-kicking out as she came over, her feet slamming her in the chest throwing her backwards. Now she had gained the initiative and she used it with a fierce charge, slamming into the stumbling young female, thinking to bring her down to the ground beneath her. Kestra went with the flow of the tackle for a moment, and then suddenly reversed her footing and her momentum, stopping her progress cold. She launched a left hook. She ducked and snapped out a straight right in response./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra slipped her head to the side so that the blow barely grazed her. Spinning a circle kick out at her, who dropped to her knees and ducked it, then came up high in a leap, over a second kick as she came around again. Now she snapped off a kick of her own, but Kestra accepted the blow against her lower hip and snapped her left arm down across her shin, locking the leg long enough for her to drive a right cross into her inner leg./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She threw her head and torso back, lying flat out and lifting her left leg as she did, kicking her under the side of her ribs. A sudden scissor-twist, right leg going down and across left leg shooting across the other way above it, had her spinning sidelong. She caught himself with extended arms as she turned facedown, broke her feet from their hold on her, and mule-kicked the falling young female backward. She launched herself right back up to her feet, she turned about and rushed forward, gaining advantage the off balance and struggling young female./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"A right cross smashed her across the face, followed by a looping left hook that should have laid the young female low. But again, with brilliant reflexes, she ducked the brunt of that blow and caught the surprised other female with a sudden and short, but heavy, left and right in the gut. Her hands worked vertically before her, hardly moving, amazingly precise, turning the blow after blow harmlessly aside. Kestra turned one hand in and down suddenly, taking the momentum from a heavy kick, then came right back up to lift her jabbing fist up high. The young female snapped her hand straight out, punching the older female in the gut. Kestra quickly followed her punch with a roundhouse kick, snapping her head to the side and knocking the older female down on the ground, and out cold./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Another Death Stalker lunged at her and kneed the young female in the gut, driving the air out of her lungs. Kestra collapsed to her knees; she coughed violently for a moment before sucking in air. Kestra stood up and shook her head, her back towards him. He lunged at her and just as his hand closed around her arm, Kestra spun, gripping his wrist and twisting to break his grip and flip him around onto his back. Kestra smiled in satisfaction when she heard his breath leave his lungs. And other kick made sure that he wasn't going to get up anytime soon./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She turned and started to run again, slinging her rifle off her back though Kestra didn't get far because another Death Stalker appeared in front of her causing Kestra to skid to a stop./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"The male snapped his hand straight out, punching the young female in the gut. Kestra coughed slightly but didn't even flinch as she grabbed his arm and then body slammed him into the ground with enough force to make him see stars and knock the breath out of his lungs. Though she lost that smile when he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, placing his foot on chest as he threw the young female over him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra slammed into the ground with a grunt and rolled over onto her hands and knees. She quickly got to her feet and got into a combat-ready martial art stance but then she turned and began to run. The male lunged after her, reaching his hand out towards her. Just as his hand closed around her arm, Kestra spun, gripping his wrist and twisting to break his grip and flip him around onto his back. She then proceeded to raise her rifle and shoot the male in the chest, right in his evil heart./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She looks up when she notices that she doesn't hear fighting anymore, Zarina and Jax must have finished with the rest…she just hoped Zarina had left one alive still, for the time being that is./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra turns and heads back outside swing her rifle back onto her back. When she walks out, Kestra spots Zarina and Jax next to a lone Death Stalker who was on his knees and had one of Zarina's wrist knives through his shoulder, keeping him in place. The other woman was covered in blood, she was a warrior through and through…her people made the Mandalorians look like softies. She winced at that thought before she pushes it away; emI am no longer a member of that cultural/em. After all to them, Kestra Verd was dead…she was nothing more but a memory./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra crosses her arms over her chest as she stares down at the wounded Death Stalker, "I have only one question to ask you before you die: Where is Draco?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Death Stalker laughs and stares up at her, "Draco and Drak spilt after your friends rescued you, girl…Drak didn't think Draco was strong enough to lead us and most of us agreed with him. What you see here was a small fraction of the followers that Lord Drak has."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""I see…well, that's fine since I am going to kill you all," Kestra said and nodded her head at Zarina who placed her index finger on his throat then made a quick slashing movement, slitting his throat with her nail. "Because you Death Stalkers are considered to be a threat to our people and you all must die."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Zarina pulled her wrist knife out of his shoulder and his corpse slumped forward, she flicked the blood off her blade and nail. "So what now?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Easy…we go to Mandalore and see if anyone has heard anything suspicious," Kestra said./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""You sure about that, Kestra? You are thought to be dead there," Zarina said looking at the other woman./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Oh, it's fine...I changed over the time of my death so they won't recognize me."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Sounds like fun…what am I going to be doing?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""You'll be doing what you do best, Z…you will be scouting in secret and look for any signs that any Death Stalkers from either group has somehow been able to sneak onto Mandalore."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Mmmm, sounds like fun…let's see how good these Mandalorians are, shall we? Oh and are you sure it's okay for you to remain dead to them? I mean Vhetin and Venku must miss you terribly…you did love Venku, right?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Yes but he loved another…he never once looked at me that way so staying like this is fine with me and as for Vhetin...he will eventually move on and no longer think about me...I wasn't even Mandalorian in the first place," Kestra whispered softly, she had gone to Mandalore once and had overheard it in the emOyu'baat/em…Venku was talking to Jaing about it. Nothing like having your heart ripped out but Kestra would get over him in time after all, she was dead now. And it was for the better if she remained that way to them, no matter how much it hurts knowing that Vhetin was suffering but like her, he too would move on./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra looks at Zarina and said, "Anyways, let's go…we have a job to do." Jax chirped and trotted off ahead of them as Kestra and Zarina followed after him side by side./p 


	3. Chapter 3

p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"emKeldabe, Mandalore/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"They swooped low over the city and headed for a medium-sized air control tower near what was obviously a spaceport, near the edge of the city. Ships of every kind were heading in and out of the area, clogging the airways nearby; there was even a huge boxy capital ship hovering a few thousand feet above the tower./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She set the ship down in an empty docking area, bay 320, and killed the power to the ship's drives./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra stepped off her ship, emPunisher/em; it was prototype covert operations craft with stealth hull plating, high-power sensor array, and capacity for limited use cloaking device. She saw a shimmery figure disappear through one of the top window of the spaceport; Zarina would scout for any signs of Death Stalkers cloaked./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"They left the docking bay and emerged into the larger spaceport. Though Kestra was able to pick out a few different species - a Twi'lek here, a Nikto there, even a bulky Gamorrean – the majority of the patrons were humans, dressed in everything from simple farming robes to full-body combat armor. Of those who wore armor, Kestra saw a bewildering array of colors and color schemes. She saw both polished and dull variations of reds, blues, silvers, golds, and hundreds of other colors./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra looks down at Jax and said, "Let's go, boy…we have a job to do."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Jax warbled up at her and she gently tugged at the leash that was attached to his collar, together they headed to one of the officers. Any outsiders had to check in with one of them so that if anything should happen, the locals won't assume it was their fault./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Greetings, emaruetii/em," the older Mandolarian said as soon as he saw her and she handed him her data pad, she kept any reaction of that word to herself….after all that was what she was. "Mmm, here for business? You want to buy some weapons? You could have gone to any other planet for that." He glanced briefly at Jax but otherwise ignored his presence./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Well, yeah but everyone knows that Mandolarians are the masters of weapon making," Kestra said with a smile./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mandalorian nods his head and hands her data pad back, "Alright, you're clear…just keep your nose out of trouble, emaruetii/em."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Yes, sir…" Kestra said as she walks out of the port, Jax trailed behind her but not too far behind. She looked around, she needed to pretend to be new here so she went to the nearest Mandolarian and asked for directions to a good caf, he gave her directions to theemOyu'baat/em after staring at her in stunned silence for a few minutes. Kestra had to stifle a smirk at that, she was no longer the girl that was last seen here as a Mandalorian, she was an attractive woman who was confident in her abilities and wore them proudly./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She ignored the shops and luckily for there wasn't very much traffic out so they had reached their destination on record time. Kestra headed to a fairly well-kept collection of interconnected buildings with rounded tops. A long rectangular window stretched along one side of the center building and a sign sported the same angular Mandalorian runes she'd seen all over the city and beneath the runes in Basic was: UNIVERSE TAPCAF. NO STRILLS INSIDE – BARTER ACCEPTED./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Jax warbled and looked up at Kestra, he probably thought she was going to leave in outside again but she shook her head and said, "You're not a strill, Jax. So you should be fine."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra opened the door and walked inside, the cantina/motel was as busy as ever. She could hear the talking, laughing, even arguing from outside across the street; there was some kind of loud music playing over the speakers. She saw the barkeep, was cleaning a dinged and dented metal drink mug. He was wearing a long cook's apron, smeared with gravy and other stains that looked mysteriously like blood; Kestra hoped that it was animal blood. He had long gray hair that hung to his shoulders and a thin, serious face./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She looked around, tensing briefly when she saw Vhetin and the others but she discreetly made sure that her hood was up and her glareshades were tinted. While she knew that any Mandalorian that knew her face by a glance wasn't able to recognize her, she didn't want to put it to the test with people who knew her really well./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Jax looked up at her and warbled; she looks down at him and said, "Right, let's go chat with the barkeep."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Kestra headed to the man and smiles as she leans against the counter, "Excuse me but do you know where I can get some top grade weapons?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""MandalMotors is a place somewhere you should look at, emaruetii/em." Aramis said looking at Kestra, movement from Jax drew his attention to him but he looked away after only lifting an eyebrow at him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Thanks, sir," Kestra said with a smile and she walks away, she pauses at the door and looks back at Vhetin and the others but she looks away and walks out. She asked for directions to MandalMotors and it was given to her in a begrudging manner, she just wanted to look at them…she really wasn't going to buy anything but that was the façade that she was going with and she needed to follow it through. Kestra hoped that Zarina was having a much easier time than she was…/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Zarina leaped from building to building, using her races' natural acrobatic abilities to their fullest. She leaped off one building and landed heavily on a parked speeder, she crushed the hood completely before she leaped off it onto a trash bin then she jumped onto another building's roof. With her heightened hearing, she heard the owner of the speeder and his friend run out of the bar that they were in and their conversation./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""emVod/em, we got to lie off on the drinking from now….it's making us see things."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""I agree...no one will believe this."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She stifled a smirk as she moved further away, if she didn't have the cloaking device built into her gauntlet computer they would have been able to see here but all they saw with her was a shimmery figure, much like a heat wave. Zarina had found the cloaking device in the wreckage of a rare crash site, she had taken it back to her tribe and built it into her gauntlet computer and hooked it into the HUD in her mask. She was the one female of her race that knew how to deal with technology though like her sisters, she still viewed blasters, canons and lightsabers are cowardly and dishonorable weapons./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Zarina skids to a stop suddenly, she looks around her before she looks down. Her gold eyes narrowing behind the lens of her mask, crouching on the ledge with her hands brace on the ledge between her legs. She had sensed another Force user but it was darker, evil…her eyes zero in on a Mandalorian in red and black armor, Zarina smirked at that. emSo easy/em, she thought as she made herself "invisible" to the other Force user and crept after him but she remained on the roof. She followed him into an alley and she looked around before she jumped down onto the man./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She ejected the blades, the knives scraping out of its housing with a metallic emshink/em. The retractable, serrated blades pierce into the opening between the chest plates but she made sure not to pierce the heart…he was wanted alive./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Zarina looks up when she heard the sound of blasters loading and being aimed at her, she looks over her shoulder just now realizing that the cloaking that she had on had dropped. And behind her aiming their blasters and rifles at her were a group of Mandalorians whose armor is colored gold with black trim./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Drop the man and raise your hands over your head, you're under arrest!" the lead man said keeping his rifle aimed at Zarina. She looks at him, her head tilting to the side as her built in translator that was in her mask translated what he had said into her language, Kestra had downloaded the Mandalorian language into the mask on top of Basic as well…Zarina was one of the few Saberians that do not learn how to speak another language other than the one spoken in their home system, not that they leave it very often in fact they just started to develop technology. Their ships weren't as good as the others but they did work and got them to wherever they wanted./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She turns her body so that her prey was behind her, a clear sign that she wasn't going to obey them and she heard the whirring of blasters getting ready to fire but before they could fire a black and dark grey blur landed in front of them, causing a shockwave to push them back though Zarina uses the Force to keep her where she was at. Zarina looks over to see an older woman standing in between them, her arms crossed over her chest as she fixed the Mandalorians with an emotionless stare. She had greying dark brown hair pulled back into a long braid and wrapped around her neck with her hood drawn up to case the upper part of her face in darkness, and her almond brown eyes took in everything before her, never missing anything./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;""Get him back to her now…I will deal with these fools," Ranek said barely casting Zarina glance. She shivered at the feeling of Ranek, she feels like a predator would in the Force which is what makes many to be nervous around her...she could feel the man shivering in his hold. He could sense coming from her a disjointed turmoil of emotions, held in place by a ferociously intelligent logic. Amidst all the violence and anger, the man sensed the dark side in her, and it scared him. Zarina nods her head before removing her wrist blades from his body; she threw him over her shoulder and jumped onto the roof before taking off towards the forest./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"One of the Mandalorians went to follow her but with an almost lazy flick of her hand; she pushed him back a few feet. Ranek could sense their surprise and shock through the Force and she sighs heavily, "Before any of you toss me into the same group as the Jedi or Sith, I am not one but I am not here to tell you otherwise…I am here to stop you from following after my companion."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Ranek pulled out one of her hand blasters from her holsters and opened fire at them, forcing them to take cover with curses and shouts of surprise. She had given them no warning of her actions; she lifts her free hand and uses the Force to throw a trash bin at couple of them. They threw themselves out of the way; Ranek puts her blaster back in its holster before she uses her hand to motion to the other bin, lifting it up with the Force before she threw it at three of the Mandalorians./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Suddenly the lead Mandalorian launched towards Ranek. Looping his arms over Ranek's and bearing her backwards. The Mandalorian wrestles to her the ground but her feet were too quick for that, setting her in perfect balance almost immediately. She slid one leg between her feet and started to twist to the side, weakening his hold on her arm./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"The Mandalorian pulled a hand free and launched a heavy punch, but realized mistake immediately as the older woman ducked the blow and a tight, stationary somersault right under the swinging arm, double-kicking out as she came over, her feet slamming him in the chest throwing him backwards. Now she had gained the initiative and she used it with a fierce charge, slamming into the stumbling man, thinking to bring him down to the ground beneath him. The Mandalorian went with the flow of the tackle for a moment, and then suddenly reversed his footing and his momentum, stopping Ranek's progress cold. He launched a left hook. Ranek ducked and snapped out a straight right in response. The Mandalorian slipped his head to the side so that the blow barely gazed him. Spinning a circle kick out at Ranek, who dropped to her knees and ducked it, then came up high in a leap, over a second kick as he came around again. Now she snapped off a kick of her own, but the Mandalorian accepted the blow against his lower hip and snapped his left arm down across Ranek's shin, locking the leg long enough for him to drive a right cross into Ranek's inner leg./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She threw her head and torso back, lying flat out and lifting her left leg as she did, kicking him under the side of his ribs. A sudden scissor-twist, right leg going down and across left leg shooting across the other way above it, had him and her spinning sidelong. She caught herself with extended arms as she turned facedown, broke her feet from their hold on her, and mule-kicked the falling man backward. She launch herself right back up to her feet, she turned about and rushed forward, gaining advantage the off balance and struggling man. A right cross smashed him across the face, followed by a looping left hook that should have laid the man low. But again, with brilliant reflexes, he ducked the brunt of that blow and caught the surprised older woman with a sudden and short, but heavy, left and right in the gut./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"Ranek's hands worked vertically before her, hardly moving, amazingly precise, turning the blow after blow harmlessly aside. The Mandalorian turned one hand in and down suddenly, taking the momentum from a heavy kick, then came right back up to lift Ranek's jabbing fist up high. The man snapped his hand straight out, punching the older woman in the gut. Ranek didn't even flinch as she grabbed his arm and then body slammed him into the ground with enough force to make him see stars and knock the breath out of his lungs./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"She straightens up before she uses the Force to jump onto the roof; she looks down at them for a few silent minutes then she turns around and heads to the forest, knowing that they wouldn't follow after her with wounded men. /p 


	4. Chapter 4

_West Forest, Mandalore_

Zarina tossed the man at Kestra's feet; the other woman lifted an eyebrow at sweat that covered the other woman's body...something must have happened, she had never seen her this sweaty unless she fought someone who could make her break out into a sweat and there was no on here that would be able to do that Zarina, at least that's what Zarina thinks. "What happened?" Kestra asked looking at the other woman.

"A group of Mandalorians in gold and black armor saw me and tried to arrest me, Ranek was apparently passing by and had gotten between us," Zarina explained as she put a foot on the man's throat and applied pressure, not enough to kill him but enough for him to know that Zarina is much stronger than she looks. "She sent me ahead while she dealt with them and in case they got past her, I had to run faster than I normally do."

Kestra hummed at that that sounded a lot like what police officers wore in Keldabe, she looks up at Zarina and, "Good, I don't want anyone being dragged into this...it's just between us and them."

She heard rustling up in the trees but she didn't look up, she had sensed her coming long before she even heard her. Ranek landed heavily between the two younger women, creating a small crater with the force of her landing. She straightens and looks at Kestra, not even looking at the man at their feet.

"I dealt with those fools...don't worry, I didn't kill any of them..." She adds as if an afterthought. "This time."

Kestra shot the older woman a look before she looks down at the man, she flicks her fingers and his helmet shot off without her even touching it. He had a gaunt face with lanky and greasy black hair and yellow with red rims eyes. She kneels next to him and grips his chin, turning his head so that he could look at her.

"I am surprised that a Death Stalker is even here hiding among the Mandalorians," she said narrowing her eyes at him. "Why are you here?"

The man sneered at her and said, "I don't have to tell you anything, girl...I know who you are, you're that child who had to be saved by stinking Mandalorians and who couldn't fight back against Lord Draco." The way he sneered out Draco's name told her that what she had heard was true; Drake and Draco were no longer in the same team so Drake wouldn't know where Draco was anyways.

Kestra's grip tightened on his chin and said, "I don't need you to talk...there are ways to get the information." She removes her hand from his chin and lowered her hand until it hovered over his face, fingers spread and palm facing him. Kestra closes her eyes as she opens herself to the Force and forces herself into his memories, scanning through the ones that were deemed important.

What seemed like hours but was really seconds, she opens her eyes and stands up. She looks down at him and pulls her blaster out of her holster, "You are no longer needed." And she pulled the trigger, blowing his brains out.

She holstered her blaster and looked at the two women, "Drake is even worse than Draco so we deal with Drake first then Draco."

Zarina lifts an eyebrow and asked, "Why is that?"

"He is planning to kill all non-Force-sensitives," Kestra said. "And he is starting with Mandalore first."

Ranek crosses her arms over her chest and said, "You are planning to stop them." It wasn't a question; it was a statement of fact.

"Yes."

"You owe them nothing, you are no longer Mandalorian, remember?"

"I know but I will not stand by and watch innocents be killed by a lunatic."

The older woman looked at Kestra with no emotion on her face and then said, in her normal emotionless tone, "So be it but if you do not want to bring innocents into this then we must make sure that we don't let anyone see us...I will not risk my life or yours in order to save fools who cannot keep their noses out of the business of others." That was a close as an agreement that she was going to get from the older woman but she was going to take it regardless.

Kestra nods her head and looks down at the body before she turns around and starts to walk off, "Let's go we need to find the rest of them before they start the killing...oh and if you come across a Mandolarian with white stripes on his helmet with a young woman with brown hair, do not harm him...just knock him out."

Zarina cocked her head to the side and asked, "Why?"

"Because I don't want him to know that I am alive," Kestra said. "And if you attack him and I have to go help you, he'll know as soon as I start fighting him so please quickly knock him, and the woman, out."

Ranek was silent before she bows and said, "As you wish..."

"And now we go back, Ranek and Zarina make sure you keep to the shadows...you had shown yourselves so now they will be looking for you." Kestra said.

Zarina nods her head and lifts her arm, typing on her keyboard before she 'vanishes' while Ranek closes her eyes and uses the force to make herself 'vanish' as well. Kestra continues to walk away, she could hear her two companions falling behind her as they leave the body of the dead man behind.

Let the wild animals get rid of his body, that way when someone comes across any of his remains they would assume an animal had killed him.

Kestra stepped back into the city with Jax on a leash and walking next to her, her two female companions had gone off in different directions in order to cover more ground while Kestra opted to look for the rest of the Death Stalkers here.

Jax had his nose to the ground as he took deep breathes, his whiplike tail softly swinging side to side as he walked. His ears twitched and rotated as he picked up sounds that she couldn't pick up suddenly Jax freezes and lifts his head up, looking down a dark alley.

Kestra crouches next to him and rubs between his ears, "Good boy, Jax...looks like we found them."

She hears a crackle on her headset and lifted her hand, pressing her finger against the side of her glareshades as her mic swung down so she could talk into it.

"What is it?"

Ranek's voice spoke through the static, "Zarina and I had located the Death Stalkers."

"So has Jax...looks like they had split up when they landed on Mandalore," Kestra murmured.

"Apparently they felt that doing so would guarantee their survival if one group was taken out," Ranek said. "That is if they were found by your former adopted race but they weren't..."

Kestra ignored the comment about her former adopted race, she knew what she was leaving behind when she had faked her death...she was leaving behind people who had been her family her entire life.

She knew that they wouldn't forgive her for this, she had caused them great pain but this was something that she had to do. And not only that but she didn't know what she was, was she Mandalorian or whatever her mother was?

"Wipe them out," Kestra ordered. "Leave no survivors and knock out any Mandolarians that come stumble into our clean up."

"Alright, I will tell Zarina then carrying on my attack," Ranek said. "Good luck, little one...and good hunting." Then the comm was silent.

She takes her rifle off her back and then unclips the leash from Jax's collar, the creature danced around her whinnying as she moved deeper into the alley. As they get closer to the hiding place of the Death Stalkers, Jax goes silent as he gets into hunting form.

Jax froze in mid step, eyes fixed on an abandoned building in front of them. Kestra checks her weapons quickly, they were all fully charged and ready to go. She then closes her eyes and opens herself to the Force, she throws her power to the door and rips it off its hinges.

Kestra then sends Jax the attack command and Jax lets out a loud yip before charging towards the building at a fast pace. She was right behind him, firing her rifle at their enemy.

Kestra ducked a slash of her opponent's lightsaber that would have decapitated her if she was a second slower, Kestra pops back up and fires a slug into the Death Stalker's head before moving along. She didn't even look to see if they were really dead, she could sense their life force disappear in the Force. She enters the base alone, Jax will stay outside and deal with any Death Stalker that try to leave.

A Death Stalker lunged at her and as he swung his light pike at the woman…who simply wasn't there when the pike reached the target, Kestra moved her rifle so that it was on her back and out of her way. Kestra had leapt to a fallen tree trunk and into a one handed position that she performs in meditation. But there was nothing sleepy or meditative about this. With her forearm serving as a pivot, the adept swept torso and legs about, catching her opponent beneath the jaw and flinging him against the tree behind him. She flipped back onto the ground and got into the stance again just as the Death Stalker was standing up; he seemed surprised that Kestra can do that in full battle armor.

He picked up his fallen force pike; he twirled it around him before lunging at Kestra again. Kestra leapt straight up, grasping the limb of a tree that was above her head, and punched both feet into the male's masked face. The male fell back and onto his back as she dropped back onto the ground, placing her hands on her hips. Kestra then fixed her rifle since she noticed that it was sliding down while her opponent was getting to his feet; he wobbled slightly but didn't fall.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes then opening them. Kestra charged at the man, she hit him in the jaw, and then followed it by simultaneous hit of both her arms on his neck. Then she did a sideways flip, bring feet down on him three times before bashing him with both of her fists at the same time in a vertical fashion. She did a couple of back flips as he staggered backwards and landed a few feet from her. The other male straightened and glared at her, hissing, "You damn bitch…"

The male lunged at her, Kestra patiently waited until he was close then she jumped up into the air and launched a kick that was aimed at his head. He ducked her kick; Kestra changed her pivot in midair and swung her heel down on his head. The kick dazed him and Kestra then spun and kicked his knee, breaking it and making him collapse then she spun and lashed out a roundhouse kick, hitting him in the side of the head with her boot. He went crashing to the ground, and he stayed down.

Kestra moved deeper into the base, she kept her rifle on her back she would use her hand to hand combat experience to deal with the rest.

And then another Death Stalker appeared behind her, looping her arms over Kestra's and bearing her backwards. She wrestles Kestra to the ground but her feet were too quick for that, setting her in perfect balance almost immediately. She slid one leg between her feet and started to twist to the side, weakening her hold on her arm and then Kestra flipped the other woman over her back, slamming her into the ground. She stood up again and charged at Kestra who quickly responded with a roundhouse kick, hitting her in the side of the head with her foot. She went crashing to the ground, but she didn't stay down. Kestra just whirled and slammed her open palm across her face. The stinging blow disoriented her, throwing her off balance. She moved fast; almost too fast to see.

In a single fluid motion, Kestra grabbed her by the throat and drove her fist into her solar plexus, knocking the breath out of her, then hooked Kestra foot around her ankles and tripped her. Then Kestra raised her leg and slammed her heel down on her head, snapped her neck instantly killing him.

Another Death Stalker rushed her from behind and Kestra spun and lashed out a roundhouse kick, hitting her in the side of the head with her boot. She went crashing to the ground, but she didn't stay down. Kestra just whirled and slammed her open palm across her face. The stinging blow disoriented her, throwing her off balance. In a single fluid motion, Kestra grabbed her by the throat and drove her fist into her solar plexus, knocking the breath out of her, then hooked her foot around her ankles and tripped him.

Looping her arms over her and bearing her backwards. Kestra wrestled to her the ground but her feet too quick for that, setting her in perfect balance almost immediately. She slid one leg between her feet and started to twist to the side, weakening her hold on her arm. Kestra pulled a hand free and launched a heavy punch, but realized mistake immediately as the other female ducked the blow and a tight, stationary somersault right under the swinging arm, double-kicking out as she came over, her feet slamming her in the chest throwing her backwards. Now she had gained the initiative and she used it with a fierce charge, slamming into the stumbling young female, thinking to bring her down to the ground beneath her. Kestra went with the flow of the tackle for a moment, and then suddenly reversed her footing and her momentum, stopping her progress cold. She launched a left hook. She ducked and snapped out a straight right in response.

Kestra slipped her head to the side so that the blow barely grazed her. Spinning a circle kick out at her, who dropped to her knees and ducked it, then came up high in a leap, over a second kick as she came around again. Now she snapped off a kick of her own, but Kestra accepted the blow against her lower hip and snapped her left arm down across her shin, locking the leg long enough for her to drive a right cross into her inner leg.

She threw her head and torso back, lying flat out and lifting her left leg as she did, kicking her under the side of her ribs. A sudden scissor-twist, right leg going down and across left leg shooting across the other way above it, had her spinning sidelong. She caught himself with extended arms as she turned facedown, broke her feet from their hold on her, and mule-kicked the falling young female backward. She launched herself right back up to her feet, she turned about and rushed forward, gaining advantage the off balance and struggling young female.

A right cross smashed her across the face, followed by a looping left hook that should have laid the young female low. But again, with brilliant reflexes, she ducked the brunt of that blow and caught the surprised other female with a sudden and short, but heavy, left and right in the gut. Her hands worked vertically before her, hardly moving, amazingly precise, turning the blow after blow harmlessly aside. Kestra turned one hand in and down suddenly, taking the momentum from a heavy kick, then came right back up to lift her jabbing fist up high. The young female snapped her hand straight out, punching the older female in the gut. Kestra quickly followed her punch with a roundhouse kick, snapping her head to the side and knocking the older female down on the ground, and out cold.

Another Death Stalker lunged at her and kneed the young female in the gut, driving the air out of her lungs. Kestra collapsed to her knees; she coughed violently for a moment before sucking in air. Kestra stood up and shook her head, her back towards him. He lunged at her and just as his hand closed around her arm, Kestra spun, gripping his wrist and twisting to break his grip and flip him around onto his back. Kestra smiled in satisfaction when she heard his breath leave his lungs. And other kick made sure that he wasn't going to get up anytime soon.

She turned and started to run again, slinging her rifle off her back though Kestra didn't get far because another Death Stalker appeared in front of her causing Kestra to skid to a stop.

The male snapped his hand straight out, punching the young female in the gut. Kestra coughed slightly but didn't even flinch as she grabbed his arm and then body slammed him into the ground with enough force to make him see stars and knock the breath out of his lungs. Though she lost that smile when he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, placing his foot on chest as he threw the young female over him.

Kestra slammed into the ground with a grunt and rolled over onto her hands and knees. She quickly got to her feet and got into a combat-ready martial art stance but then she turned and began to run. The male lunged after her, reaching his hand out towards her. Just as his hand closed around her arm, Kestra spun, gripping his wrist and twisting to break his grip and flip him around onto his back. She then proceeded to raise her rifle and shoot the male in the chest, right in his evil heart.

She slings her rifle back onto her back, she didn't sense any more life forms but that didn't mean that they weren't using something to block her senses so she whistles for Jax. Kestra will use Jax to find those hidden opponents then she will look for any information about the whereabouts of Drake.


	5. Chapter 5

Kestra found the comm room and going through the computer, her eyes were scanning over the words scrolling down the screen. Jax was lying behind her, pressing his back against the back of her calves and his tail was draped over her feet.

She had to hurry up and finish this because she didn't know if anyone else had heard the sound of fighting...most likely they did and were on their way here.

Kestra stopped the scrolling when she found something that stood out...Drake had been behind the deaths of half the Verd Clan when she was child and he had hired some Death Watch members to do it. Something told her that Draco probably didn't know about this, that man didn't seem the type to let anyone live if they had tried to kill a force sensitive child that could been added to his army.

 _Shae is dealing with the Death Watch_ , Kestra thought. _So I will tell her this interesting little tidbit later_.

She inserts a disk and downloaded the information then when it was finished she takes it out and puts it in its case she then puts it under the gauntlet on her right arm.

Kestra patted the side of her armored covered thigh, causing Jax to stand up and stretch before he follows his master out of the silent base.

 _I wonder how Ranek and Zarina are doing_ , Kestra thought as she walked out of the building.

Ranek was wiping the blood off her knives, she carries two curved single-edged knives with serrated edges typically used in tandem which she keeps strapped to her lower back, using the robe of the dead Death Stalker.

She then steps over the dead body without a glance, Ranek continues walking into the base. She had killed all the Death Stalkers in this base, it was amusing that they thought she was going to be easy to kill because of her age. Well, she proved them wrong.

"Hold it!"

Ranek stops walking and looks over her shoulder, standing behind her was a man with a blaster aimed at her. He wore black-red battle armor that was cut at the shoulders to reveal his muscular arms. His long black hair was pulled back to reveal the twisted and and sharp-edged tattoo stretching along his neck.

"Who are you, _aruetii_?" the man demanded.

Ranek continues to stare at him as she slowly turns to face him, tightening her grip on the handle of her swingblade knives. She tilts her head to the side as she takes in his armor and said coolly, "You are not _him_...your armor is the wrong color and you are quite obviously not a woman." Ranek gets into a combat ready stance bringing her weapons up. "And as for who I am...sorry but I don't give my name to dead men."

She lunged at the man but pulls to a stop when she senses Kestra's command through the Force to head to their hotel room. Ranek pulls back and Force leaps to the stair way above, she looked down at the man and said, "Consider yourself lucky, boy...you get to live today." And with that she leaves, jumping to the roof of a building next door and running off.

Meanwhile Zarina was leaving the base, having just finished killing everyone and not finding any new information but she had downloaded it anyways.

She stops when she sees someone standing there, her gold eyes narrowed when she sees that it was the Mandalorian that Kestra had warned her against fighting. Zarina places her hands on her hips and sighs heavily, silently cursing her luck.

"So I don't think there's any chance that you'll let me go, hm?" Zarina asked.

"No." He aims his blaster at her, she heard a click that told her that it wasn't on stun. Zarina

Zarina sighs and scratches the back of her head, good thing she had her mask on but still she was easy to find because of her armor. "Great, she told us not to fight you and your little side kick girlie..."

The white haired woman crouches down as her muscles flexed and tensed in the readiness of a fight. She ejected the blades, the knives scraping out of its housing with a metallic _shink_. The retractable, serrated blades glistened in the sunlight.

"That armor of yours is tough but it has weak points," Zarina said. "So let's see how well you fight!" She lunged at him raising her arm but just as she was within striking distance, she heard Kestra's voice from above.

"Zarina, it's time to go...and I thought I told you to leave him alone?"

Zarina, showing surprising reflexes, did a Force fueled back flip and landed between Kestra and Ranek. "Sorry, boss...I really wanted to test his fighting abilities."

Kestra looks down at him and said, "Soon but right now we have a mission to finish." She turns and motions to them to follow after her.

"Wait!"

She doesn't stop and together they run towards the trees, Zarina could sense that Kestra was conflicted with seeing Vhetin again though the white haired woman doubted that he even saw her face properly and even if he did, he probably didn't recognize her because she no longer looked the same as she did when he last saw her.

Kestra wasn't going to risk it though, Zarina to be honest didn't like Vhetin even thought of her as she did with him in fact she doubted that everyone else that she knew here thought about her. And why would they? Mandalorians didn't like Force users and Kestra was one, it was for the best if Kestra cut all ties with them and returned with them back to their home sector...far from these outsiders and their warring ways.

Back in their hotel room, Kestra was stroking Jax's head as she reads the datapad. She was alone in her room as she read it, Zarina and Ranek were sleeping on the roof since she had booked this room with her name only.

Her eyes narrowed then widen as she reaches the end of the data.

 _Damn it...this isn't good_ , Kestra thought. Apparently these three groups of Death Stalkers had placed a bomb in the center of the city, something that would kill anyone who wasn't Force-sensitive and wouldn't be able to sense the danger.

And the only two other force sensitives were Gotab and Venku.

Kestra lowered her datapad and chewed on her lower lip, what should she do? Should she warn them but how? Fenn would most likely recognize her but she honestly doubted it, it's been a long time since anyone saw her...alive that is.

 _I will go tell him tomorrow_ , Kestra thought. _Most likely they are waiting for everyone to be up and about_.

She places her hand on Jax's head and said, "Be ready for anything tomorrow, Jax..."

Jax lifted his head and _twrr_ ed at her, and if they didn't wait until tomorrow then he would alert her if there was any poison in the air.

So Kestra got ready for bed and crawled into bed, Jax jumped onto the bed and curled into a ball. He closes his eyes, his tail twitched for a bit before relaxing. Kestra smiles as she looks over at him, while she misses Jax, the strill this Jax was way better...he was force sensitive after all and he was loyal to her and only her.

Kestra closes her eyes and falls into a deep sleep, her dreams were of a planet that she had never been to but somehow it was her home.


End file.
